Project 2025 puts students’ safety at risk

Prejudice, oppression, and outright racism have no place in our nation’s schools Problems viewing this email? [View it in your browser]( [Center for American Progress]( InProgress from the Center for American Progress To make sure you never miss an email from us, please add progress@americanprogress.org to your contacts or safe senders list. Thanks for staying connected with us! Project 2025 harms ALL students’ safety with anti-LGBTQI+ policies [Photo shows a dimly lit empty classroom with a view of the outdoors through the windows, and a man lifting the blinds.]( Photo: Getty Images School is often a safe haven for youth who have been marginalized. Even one supportive adult, such as a teacher, can decrease the risk of suicide for an LGBTQI+ young person by as much as [43 percent.]( Yet the number of anti-LGBTQI+ school policy bills considered across the country has steadily and dramatically increased in [recent years](. From censoring LGBTQI+ curricula to restricting bathroom access for transgender students, [dozens]( of policies that [inflict educational harm]( have been [introduced]( by right-wing extremists and ultimately [signed into law](. The far-right authoritarian playbook Project 2025 would build on these efforts by seeking to federalize many of these [unsafe school policies](. The Center for American Progress’ new analysis reveals that the safety of all students would be negatively affected should Project 2025 and the far right implement their anti-LGBTQI+ agenda. [Learn More]( Get the latest on student debt relief [The Biden-Harris administration has delivered historic levels of student loan debt relief [arrow emoji] almost $170 billion to 4.76 million borrowers. ]( [Share This]( ICYMI: The Biden-Harris administration has delivered historic levels of student debt relief by fixing broken programs and fulfilling promises to borrowers who had been left behind. [Read Now]( Improving college readiness for marginalized students [Photo shows a back view of two high schoolers wearing their graduation caps facing a sunny blue sky]( Photo: Getty Images Despite rising college costs, a postsecondary education remains one of the most reliable pathways to good jobs and well-paying careers in the United States. However, access to higher education remains strongly divided by demographic factors such as race and socioeconomic status. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to [end race-conscious admissions in June 2023]( programs that promote postsecondary access for underrepresented groups remain more important than ever. One such federal grant program is [Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs]( (GEAR UP), which helps increase college enrollment and success for low-income students. Through locally tailored programming and community engagement, GEAR UP aims to improve students’ high school outcomes, strengthen their postsecondary awareness, and increase their postsecondary enrollment. Because students of color are [overrepresented]( in underresourced schools, it is more crucial than ever to support programs such as GEAR UP to increase college readiness and lower racial disparities in college enrollment. [Keep Reading]( New report: Opening doors for underrepresented students in STEM [Eighth graders at Olive Vista Middle School in Los Angeles demonstrate their engineering project]( Photo credit: Getty Images Disparities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education manifest across the entire cradle-to-career continuum, from pre-K to higher education, and most noticeably among underrepresented groups—including Black, Latino, and Native American students as well as girls and students with disabilities. Last year, a report on diversity in the STEM workforce published by the [National Science Foundation]( found that only one-third of STEM workers are women, despite women making up more than half of the U.S. population; Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American workers make up less than 25 percent of the STEM workforce; and disabled workers have remained at 3 percent of the STEM workforce over the last decade. The lack of representation of these groups in STEM fields often correlates with a lack of access to STEM courses in K-12 education, which tends to reduce students’ likelihood of pursuing STEM majors in college. To close this gap, the U.S. Department of Education hosted the YOU Belong in STEM conference in 2022. The conference encouraged schools, districts, state and local governments, and organizations to work together to leverage federal resources so that they can meet student and educator needs to grow the STEM fields. This initiative hinges on an important finding: Feelings of joy and belonging are an integral part of motivating students academically and preparing them for future careers in STEM. CAP’s latest report shares five critical policies and practices that can foster more joy and belonging in STEM education and that can strengthen pathways to success for underrepresented communities in STEM. [Read More]( You’re invited: RSVP to CAP’s Housing Summit! Inadequate supply is the root cause of the housing affordability crisis. The rate of production of new units has been too low for more than a decade, and the supply of entry-level single-family homes and affordable rental units has greatly lagged behind demand. Nationally, nearly half of all rental households are cost burdened. To solve the U.S. housing crisis, the path ahead must dramatically boost the supply of housing through policies that will spur building—by reforming local zoning regulations and identifying innovative financing opportunities—and do so in a way that is sustainable and fosters communities that Americans want to live, work, and gather in. Please join the Center for American Progress [Thursday, September 19]( for a policy summit that lays out a vision for a future with affordable, accessible housing, and policy solutions to turn that vision into a reality for all types of communities. [[In-Person] RSVP In-Person]( [[Online] RSVP Virtually]( Follow us on [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on YouTube]( [Follow us on Instagram]( [Support CAP]( [Manage Email Preferences or Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( [Center for American Progress]( Center for American Progress 1333 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 [supporter]